Traction strap for prostatic surgery



Feb. 6, 1962 R. LIMBECK 3,019,791

TRACTION STRAP FOR PROSTATIC SURGERY Filed Feb. 10, 1960 v g 2 INVENTOR.

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nited States Patent TRACTION STRAP FOR PROSTATIC SURGERY Lawrence R.Limbeck, 401 C St., Lincoln, Nebr. Filed Feb. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 7,949 2Claims. (Cl. 128-349) This invention relates to a surgical tractiondevice and more particularly a device to apply continuous traction on acatheter bag.

In a surgical operation directed to the complete removal of the prostategland, it is common practice to position a catheter bag in the prostatearea to maintain continuous pressure for the purpose of preventinginternal hemorrhage and it is common practice to hold the tie-offportion of the catheter bag by a wrapping of adhesive tape around theleg of the patient, which is both uncomfortable and insecure but doesproperly position the catheter bag.

It is therefore a primary object of my invention to provide a device inwhich the catheter bag is held in position by tension applieddirectionally downward.

It is yet another object of 'my invention to provide a device in whichthe tension member is of sufficient length to permit it to be anchoredalong the lower portions of the patients leg.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a device in which theaforesaid anchoring portion may be utilized without causing any undueconstriction of the blood vessels.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be moreapparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of theaccompanying drawings and following specifications, wherein is discloseda single exemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding,however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scopeof the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view of the device as it is used on a post-operativepatient.

FIGURE 2 is a detailed view of that portion of the device as it isattached to the patients leg, and

FIGURE 3 is a view of the strap portion of the device positioned on aflat plane to show the construction thereof.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, I will set forth in detail the structure ofmy device. The device comprises three essential portions which are usedin conjunction with a bag and catheter. As has been previously stated,in operations for the removal of the prostate gland, subsequenttreatment requires that a constant pressure be maintained against thewalls of the bladder for a period of time to prevent internalhemorrhages. For this purpose a catheter and bag, such as shown at 11 inFIGURE 1, is commonly used. This bag is inflated with water usuallyabout 30 cubic centimeters. It is necessary to maintain pressure betweenthe lower portion of this bag and the internal wall of the bladder andto accomplish this, the catheter is held downwardly under tension in adirection parallel to the patients leg.

The structure which accomplishes the holding of the bag and catheter isfully shown in FIGURE 1 in position on the patients leg. It comprisesthree main portions, namely a strap 13, an elastic tension member 14,and a thong 12 of substantial length. The strap 13 is wrapped around thepatients leg and buckled on the outer side of the leg at 15. On theinner side of the strap is a holding memher in the form of a hook 18which is stitched in position on the strap. Attached to the hook is theelastic band 14 which in turn is tied to the thong 12, the other end ofthe thong being attached to the catheter at 12a.

To hold the elastic 14 in position in relation to the hook 18, I haveprovided a ring member 17 which is also held in position by the stitchedstrap 18a. This ring is so positioned as to extend upwardly in relationto the patients leg, the elastic band being threaded through the ring.

In order to vary the tension on the thong, the elastic band can beknotted at one or more points as indicated at 14a. This of courseshortens the total combined length of the elastic and thong and can beadjusted to the individual needs of the patient.

The strap itself is a flat cloth structure having an inner lining 16 offoam rubber which serves to cushion the leg in relation to the strap andto prevent any undue binding action which might cause constriction ofthe, blood vessels. The strap is adjustable in circumference by means ofthe two buckle members 15 and 15a which are positioned at differentdistances from the end of the strap to permit the aforesaid adjustment.

It will be undertood that this device is applied as a post-operativetreatment, and while it may be retained in position for an indefiniteperiod without injury to the patient, usuallyfour to six hours appear tobe sufl'icient. During this period the patient is still under recoveryfrom the anesthetic and in a weakened condition and, therefore, littlebodily movement will occur. However, since the device is attached to thepatients leg, rolling movement from side to side will not affect itsince the relative position of the strap and the catheter bag remain thesame.

The use of the device will be apparent from the foregoing descriptionand practicing urologists have found it a desirable and effectivetraction device used for the purposes intended Although I have describeda specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modificationsthereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention asset forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a medical traction device in combination with a catheter and bagattached to one end of said catheter, a thong of substantial length, astrap adapted to be fastened around the patients leg, said strap havinga hook thereon and a ring on said strap adjacent said hook, an elasticmember attached to said hook and threaded upwardly through said ring,said thong attached to said elastic member and extending upwardlytherefrom, said thong being tied to the aforesaid catheter and theassembly thus described being adapted to maintain constant tension uponsaid catheter and bag.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said strap having a soft liningmaterial positioned to be placed adjacent the skin of the patients leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,161,261 Spalding Nov. 23, 1915

